


The Way It Is

by VJR22_6



Series: Violet Appreciation Week! [1]
Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Gen, Trans Violet best violet, the day one prompt was secret!, violetappreciationweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:09:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23243797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VJR22_6/pseuds/VJR22_6
Summary: Her life wasn’t always like this. Wasn’t full of magic, either, but it is now, and she’s happier for it. She’s just got to work up the courage to tell Webby and Lena about the forgotten part of herself.
Relationships: Lena (Disney: DuckTales) & Violet Sabrewing, Lena (Disney: DuckTales) & Violet Sabrewing & Webby Vanderquack, Violet Sabrewing & Webby Vanderquack
Series: Violet Appreciation Week! [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1690945
Comments: 10
Kudos: 52





	The Way It Is

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Violet Sabrewing Appreciation Week!!! Today’s day one and the prompt was “secret,” so have a trans Violet coming-out fic. 💜  
> The title comes from Celine Dion’s “That’s The Way It Is” because it’s a really good song and that’s that.  
> Also shoutout to my lovely friend who read this and helped me with the editing and such. Can’t say enough in the way of thanks for you.

“Talk to you later, Pink.” Lena’s voice comes through their bedroom door before she does, phone still held to her ear as she ends her conversation with Webby. Violet’s crossing out a name in her old yearbook, writing her own over it repeatedly, but when Lena steps in, she shoves it under her pillow.

She’s got a book lying open beneath where it was, and returns to solving high-level equations for her math class instead. Five hundred four and ninety-eight makes… then foil… plus forty-seven is.... College courses are a challenge sometimes. She frowns and erases her answer after checking her work, then rewrites-

“Hey, Vi? You in there?” Lena taps the side of Violet’s head, and she turns to look up at her sister.

“Sorry, what?”

“You were really in-the-zone there. Anyway. Webs and I are gonna go to a horror movie on Friday night, do you wanna come with? I said you probably would but I didn’t know if you’re busy with-” she gestures at the textbook and paper- “that.”

“Oh, I’d like to join you. I should be done with all of my assignments by then.”

“Sweet.” Lena hops up onto the bed, sitting on the end of it. Violet turns to face her, focus shifting yet again. She knows her sister- this is Lena’s nonverbal “I want to ask you something.”

“If- and this is just a hypothetical thing, okay? If I wanted to start doing school, would you help me get caught up to where I should be? I just… the boys and Webby talk about learning stuff all the time and I wish for once I would understand.”

“Of course, of course.” Violet gives her a smile. She’s really trying with this “communication” thing since Lena came into her life. “I would love to.”

Lena looks away, facing the carpet. “I wish I could read the books Webby tells me about.”

Violet isn’t sure what to do. Should she reach out a hand or pat her shoulder or…? Curse Magica for never teaching her sister anything beyond the basics. “You’ll learn. You’re smart.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“Maybe you won’t be taking the same classes as me, or know all the languages Webbigail does, but you can certainly pick up on what a normal kid our age knows.” Violet reassures her. “You already know how to navigate the library, correct? After following Webbigail on her trips?”

“Well, yeah, but what’s that got to do with-”

“There are books at the library, Lena. The best way to improve is by practice. And if you need help I’m sure I can find us the time to work together on it.”

“Thanks, Vi. I’ll think about it, okay?”

They leave it as an “if” sort of thing. The offer will stand until Lena realizes that she has permanency in her life now, rather than the fleeting instability and broken promises of her life with her aunt. Violet wishes neither of them understood how that feels, but after a good chunk of her life was spent a foster kid, tossed around unwanted until her dads took her in, she knows just how a shaky life goes.

She knows what it is to fear the rug being ripped out from under you, every day, but she’s come to realize this home is safe, and so will Lena. In time.

Lena starts in about Webby’s latest adventure, a story told to her over the phone just now. Something about another encounter with air pirates and Dewey saving the day and Violet only half-listens. The McDucks are always halfway around the world on some escapade or another, the details are less than important.

She finishes the math assignment by the time Lena does the story, and she sets the textbook against her pillow purposefully. The stowed yearbook hasn’t been forgotten, just put away. She’s not ready to share the secrets of her past that lie inside.

The book is from the last year Violet went to school with kids her own age, before her dads pushed for something that would actually challenge her. Something she’d actually learn from. She’s grateful she got to leave it all behind at that underfunded old school.

Lena doesn’t ask about the hidden yearbook, and Violet assumes she didn’t see it.

Violet assumes wrong.

It’s two days before Lena mentions it, and by then Violet’s hidden the book considerably better. As such she’s very unprepared when her sister brings it up. She’s getting ready to go to that movie with Lena and Webby, hunting down her favorite green sweater, and her head is in the closet when Lena speaks up.

“So, you ever gonna tell me why you have a book under your mattress?”

“No,” Vi replies coolly, heart beginning to race. Has Lena snooped? Has she found the scribbled-out picture and name, “Violet Violet Violet” written over and over on top of it? Does she know?

“I’m gonna figure it out eventually,” Lena replies, which doesn’t do much for Violet’s brewing panic attack. At least she’s got time to find a way to reveal her secrets on her own terms. But she does have to tell Lena at least, and if she’s going to tell Lena she should tell Webby too, since they’re the two people she’s closest to.

“I know.”

“Hey. Violet. Look at me.”

Violet obeys, meeting Lena’s dark eyes, They’re full of emotion, as if she’s trying not to cry. “You can trust me, okay? I trust you.”

“I know that.” Violet feels something prick the corner of her eye, and bites her cheek to stop it.

“You don’t have to, but- you went back to that amphitheater with me. You saw the mess I used to spend my days in. I know you’re not gonna tell Papa or Dad. And if you’ve got a thing like that you know you can trust me to keep my mouth shut too.”

“I know, Lena. I know.”

It takes Violet four days of speech practice and almost a dozen pages out of her notebook crumpled up and tossed before she’s ready. But she does trust them, even trusts Webby not to tell the boys until she’s ready to take another step and tell them, too. She stares herself down in the bathroom mirror that morning, before anyone else is awake, and mentally prepares.

“You can do this. They won’t push you away or ignore you. They aren’t like the others.” She glances into the connected bedroom and at her sister’s bed. Lena’s pink bangs are turning gold as the rising sun spills its light inside, a beautiful sort of rose gold covering the pillowcase where she rests her head. It helps Violet center herself. “They won’t mind. It’s okay. They’ve certainly seen stranger things than you.”

She dares a glance at her reflection. Her eyes are dark with lack of sleep- the last few nights have been restless- but she’s got plenty of blue eyeshadow for hiding it. Her hair, full of bed-head tangles, will brush out- even if she needs Papa’s help to tame it. And her beak looks better quick when she fakes a smile, and genuinely feels better for it.

This isn’t gonna be easy, but she’s going to survive it.

Lena doesn’t wake up for another hour- she likes to stay up late, and then sleep in- and by then Violet’s already showered and put her makeup on. Lena tiredly stumbles into the bathroom, muttering “good morning,” and Violet shoves a book into her bag.

She hauls the backpack, heavy with library material she needs to return, downstairs. Papa is waiting with the brush, ready to tame her fluffy curls at the kitchen table. Dad is in the kitchen, the smell of fresh fruit and pancakes in the air.

“Good morning, pumpkin! I hope you slept well.” Papa hooks her bag on the back of the chair, and she hands him her hairband. “It wasn’t a terrible night.”

“You haven’t been sleeping well,” he remarks softly. She hums, reaching for the juice as he begins to pull the brush through the first tangle. The repetition is familiarly soothing, and her nervousness dissipates.

“I’m going to tell Lena and Webby my secret today.”

“I’m proud of you, darling. It can’t be easy to do, but I know it will turn out well. You’re a brave girl, and you’ve got a wonderful sister and kind friend.” He pecks her cheek, and she can’t help the smile that springs up. The affection is brilliant light after a storm, even though she’s quite used to it as a regular fixture in her life by now. The striking absence of it in her life before she found a home here makes her grateful for every moment of love she finds from her family.

“Thank you, Papa.” Her voice is quiet, but full of happiness. She doesn’t know how to express her need for support and gratitude that they give it to her, but she doesn’t need to. He understands, and he’s there for her no matter what. Both of her dads are, always have been.

By the time Lena comes downstairs she’s got a clean shirt and sweater on, eyeliner freshly applied. Papa greets her with a gentle “good morning, Lena.”

She slides into her chair opposite Violet’s, grabbing a strawberry out of the bowl in the middle of the table. “Morning.”

“Were your dreams alright, darling?” Papa asks, tugging at one of the final knots in Violet’s hair. Her sister shrugs, and the room is quiet for a heartbeat. The space to speak proves to be what Lena needs to open up, and she draws her knees to her chest.

“Aunt Magica showed up again. Said mean stuff and.... I don’t know how to make them stop.”

“If you want, I’ll read you a story tonight,” Dad offers, carrying the rest of breakfast to the table. “I’ve found that the things I do just before I sleep tend to influence my dreams.”

“Worth a shot,” she mutters, but there’s a twinkle of hope in her eyes that Violet spots. She just needs to be shown how unconditional love can be and perhaps she’ll start to feel less like hiding and more like opening up.

That definitely works both ways, Violet muses.

After her hair is tied up, tidied, and perfected, Violet grabs a couple of pancakes. She douses them in blueberry syrup, waiting until they’re soft to start eating.

Lena likes raspberry, drizzling it on in thin lines rather than drowning her plate. Papa likes raspberry too, but prefers to cut each bite and the dip them in a small cup of syrup beside his plate. Dad just likes his with butter, which makes the whole room smell of it.

The routine of it helps settle Violet down. Her nervousness is all but gone by the time they clear the table. Their dads see them off with goodbye-hugs and “love-you’s,” as usual before a day of adventure.

And Violet feels totally confident.

They take the side streets to the playground. It’s quicker even if the shortcuts do take a bit of crafty hiding from Beagle Boys- who don’t like Lena- or schoolyard bullies- Violet’s old enemies. They get there well before Webby and drop their bags at the top of the tower to wait. Violet plucks a book out of hers, reading in the meantime.

Lena takes to the tire swing, spinning the rope around itself over and over again. She lets go, arms sticking out, and spins freely for a long moment. Violet watches her from the cool shade, the rustling of the big tree’s leaves a beautiful soundtrack.

Webby runs into the play yard yelling in delight and shatters the quiet morning.

“Webbigail!”

“Webby!”

“Guys you will never guess what I got!” Webby holds up a small bag of glittering objects, and Violet takes the slide down.

Lena hops off the swing. “What is that?”

“It’s Della’s old hair stuff! She said I could have them! Now I can look like the greatest adventurer of all time!” She digs through the bag, producing a green ribbon and a pink barrette. “These are for you guys.”

“Thank you, Webbigail,” Violet replies politely, tying hers over her ponytail. It must look so brilliant.

“Thanks, Webs.” Lena clips hers into the base of her pink bangs. She’s usually a fan of letting her hair cover her eye, so the look is striking. Violet notices the fake flower clip in Webby’s hair, a little yellow bloom instead of her usual bow. They look great.

Later, they settle at the top of the tower, crisp breeze whistling through. Lena and Webby are sharing food, and Violet is half-heartedly flipping through an old favorite story. She knows it’s time, she just… doesn’t quite know what to say.

But she looks at their matching hair accessories, feels her bracelet weighing heavy on her wrist, and feels safer than she ever has with friends before.

“Lena? Webby? I… I have something I need to tell you.”

They both look up, eyes soft. Gentle. Ready to welcome whatever she has in store for them, ready to accept whoever she reveals she actually is. Loving her for being herself despite anything she might once have been.

So unlike what her nightmares had offered her.

“I… wasn’t always Violet.” She looks away, drawing her knees to her chest. A defensive sort of action Lena likes to use. It certainly makes Violet feel safer, right now, even though she’s not in any danger. “I wasn’t always a girl. I was…. When I hatched, I was a boy.”

“Is that why you didn’t want me to see that book?” Lena’s hand, warm and welcome, sets on Violet’s shoulder. “C‘mon, Vi, you're best friends with a living shadow and spy in training. We don’t mind.”

“Yeah!” Webby grins, scooting to sit on her other side. “We don’t care who you used to be. Just who you want to be!”

Lena ruffles her fluffy hair playfully. “Sisters. What can you do. Always worried about something or other.”

Webby gives her a hug, and Violet feels warm. Her chest is full, and she feels like she’s right where she belongs, beside these two people who don’t mind that she’s trans at all.


End file.
